Gadar – Ek Prem Katha (2001) is memorable not just for its exciting content but also because it set unbelievable box office records. The Sunny Deol-Ameesha Patel starrer, however, took time to break old records and set new ones. Gadar 2, meanwhile, has started setting records in the first three days of its release itself. Thanks to the insane demand, many theatres have started playing post-midnight and early-morning shows of the film. This has become a common occurrence in Mumbai, where films like Sooryavanshi (2021), Gangubai Kathiawadi (2022), Drishyam 2 (2022) etc and more recently Oppenheimer (2023) have had shows after midnight. But this time, smaller centres have also jumped on this bandwagon.
In Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar belt, AB Miniplex, Sanelite Cinemas, Connplex Smart Theatre – Maninagar, Connplex Smart Theatre – Prahladnagar, Miraj City Pulse, Rajhans Cinemas – Vastral, Miraj Cinemas – Vitthal Plaza, Banana Smartplex and Mango Plus Cinemas have kept shows between 12:05 AM and 2:00 AM.
In Surat, The Friday Cinema will play Gadar 2 at 1:15 AM. Kiritbhai T Vaghasia, who runs The Friday Cinema multiplex, said, “I usually keep shows at 11:58 or 11:59 PM as the moviegoers don’t realize while booking that after midnight, the day changes. But for Gadar 2, I decided to keep a show at 1:15 AM as all my shows are full. This reminds me of the craze during KGF – Chapter 2 (2022).”
Inox Raj Imperial in Surat meanwhile has set a record. It is all set to play Gadar 2 for 24 hours. While most theatres are playing post-midnight shows in just 1 or 2 screens, this particular multiplex will play Gadar 2 in all 6 screens! Between 12 AM and 8 AM, it’ll screen as many as 13 shows of the action entertainer.
Some more theatres to play Gadar 2 after midnight are Moviemax – Cinemagic, Bikaner, Rajasthan at 12:45 am, Miraj Cinemas Bioscope, Sikar, Rajasthan at 1:30 AM and 6:50 AM and Cine Wheels Drive In By Windasa, Indore, Madhya Pradesh at 1:15 AM. The list is increasing with each passing hour.
A source from the exhibition sector said, “As we speak, several exhibitors are also toying with the idea of having shows after midnight or early morning. The film is facing capacity issues as it had to share screens with OMG 2. Moviegoers, meanwhile, are not ready to wait till weekdays or next week to watch Gadar 2. They want to watch the film immediately and hence, expect many more cinemas to increase shows and thus create history!”
